Inspirations from St. Patrick
Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and people all over New York City mysteriously claim some Irish heritage in order to excuse the volume of alcohol they take in. I always find great humor at watching people who, by their physical characteristics are obviously not Irish, stumble out of local pubs donning kelly green attire and belting out off key Celtic folk songs.
Most people, however, have no understanding of St. Patrick himself and what he did to earn his own holiday.
Born in 387 in Scotland, Maewyn Succat was the son of Roman immegrants and considered himself a pagan until his early teens. At 16, Patrick (his Christian name) was kidnapped in a raid and shipped to Ireland as a slave, working as a shepherd. At the time, the Emerald Isle was populated by Celtic Druids and Patrick developed a heart for the people, learning both their language and customs.
At the age of 20 he escaped slavery and was able to reunite with his family in Britain. His desire was to preach the Gospel in Ireland and he went to study in Rome in preparation for ministry. Eventually, he was assigned to be Bishop to Ireland where he preached throughout the country and planted churches. In the course of 40
years, he preached and discipled to the extent that most of the country was exposed to the Gospel and many converted. He died on March 17, 461 in the town of Saul, Ireland, the town where he planted his first church.
When we consider the difficulties of planting a church in Queens, one can only imagine the obstacles St. Patrick faced in ministry. The effectiveness of his ministry can be attributed to his love for the people, his familiarity with the language and customs, and his ability to disciple others who could teach and preach the Gospel. This is what we are continuing to do as we seek to reach central Queens with the Gospel through Ascension Church.
The clock is ticking toward our public launch on April 9 (Palm Sunday). There is much to do between now and then and we very much appreciate your prayers during this critical time. Michael and I will need to maintain focus while juggling multiple tasks and we will be enabled to do so only through God's grace and the fervent prayers of His people.
Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and people all over New York City mysteriously claim some Irish heritage in order to excuse the volume of alcohol they take in. I always find great humor at watching people who, by their physical characteristics are obviously not Irish, stumble out of local pubs donning kelly green attire and belting out off key Celtic folk songs.
Most people, however, have no understanding of St. Patrick himself and what he did to earn his own holiday.Born in 387 in Scotland, Maewyn Succat was the son of Roman immegrants and considered himself a pagan until his early teens. At 16, Patrick (his Christian name) was kidnapped in a raid and shipped to Ireland as a slave, working as a shepherd. At the time, the Emerald Isle was populated by Celtic Druids and Patrick developed a heart for the people, learning both their language and customs.
At the age of 20 he escaped slavery and was able to reunite with his family in Britain. His desire was to preach the Gospel in Ireland and he went to study in Rome in preparation for ministry. Eventually, he was assigned to be Bishop to Ireland where he preached throughout the country and planted churches. In the course of 40
years, he preached and discipled to the extent that most of the country was exposed to the Gospel and many converted. He died on March 17, 461 in the town of Saul, Ireland, the town where he planted his first church.When we consider the difficulties of planting a church in Queens, one can only imagine the obstacles St. Patrick faced in ministry. The effectiveness of his ministry can be attributed to his love for the people, his familiarity with the language and customs, and his ability to disciple others who could teach and preach the Gospel. This is what we are continuing to do as we seek to reach central Queens with the Gospel through Ascension Church.
The clock is ticking toward our public launch on April 9 (Palm Sunday). There is much to do between now and then and we very much appreciate your prayers during this critical time. Michael and I will need to maintain focus while juggling multiple tasks and we will be enabled to do so only through God's grace and the fervent prayers of His people.
posted by Jack at 12:45 PM
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